Facing The Past
by Soule Armour
Summary: Now that they are adults, Skull can't help that he is getting nightmares. Nightmares about his past. But one day, he decides to confront it. For Past Story. Rated T for language and other sctuff


For Past Story

"talking"

'thoughts'

_flashbacks_

* * *

_"You stupid boy!"_

_ "Monster!"_

_"Ewww, what type of hair is that?!"_

_"Why don't you just die?!"_

_"Leave!"_

_The broken bottle swung dangerously near his face._

* * *

Skull gasped, shooting up in his bed, sweat trickling down his matted purple hair. Closed doors of memories threw themselves open, engulfing his mind with recollections of what he had been through. The purplette felt his body start to spasm at the memory of being beaten, numb pain growing in his backside. He groaned, and push those memories to the back of his mind.

'I will not let them control me. I will not.' He thought wearily, glancing at the clock nearby his table. 2:15 A.M. read out in bright red light. He hands were shaking as he brought them a few inches above the blanket, laughing. Hs hands felt bigger, now that their curse was lifted, and they were back to being adults. The moon shone through the gaps of his threadbare blue curtains, creating a pool of moonlight on the floor. He could here the crickets outside, singing their soft melody.

"Skull? Is everything okay?" A voice asked, opening his door slightly, her forehead being creased by her eyebrows.

He shot her a tight-lipped smile, "Its fine, Yuni. I just remembered something a few years back."

She seemed uncertain for a second, but nodded slowly.

"Okay... Um Skull?" Yuni felt something inside her to pass a message onto Skull, so she just followed her gut.

"Yea, Yu-yu?"

"Just wanted to let you know... That we're for you." She said. This made him freeze, no one ever said that before. He shot her a warm smile now, his eyes crinkling at the sides.

"Thank you, Yuni." He said gratefully, she somehow always knew what was going in on his mind.

This made the Sky freeze. He had never smiled like that.

"Skull, what's wrong?" The raven haired girl asked.

He seemed astounded by her perception, "It's nothing, Yu-yu. Go to sleep. I'm gonna go take a drag." He smiled at her, assuring her that he is fine.

She smiled back, and closed the door that led to the hallway. Not feeling like sleeping, he got up from his bed, the chain around his neck jingling like a bag of coins. It held the pacifier, which was slowly fading to a clear color instead of the purple. He grabbed a packet of smokes from his bedside drawer, and stepped out into the balcony.

Stars twinkled as they rested in the blanket of the night sky as the Cloud Arcobaleno leaned on the metal rail. There was a light warm breeze, perfect since he was only wearing a pair of ripped grey jeans, no shirt. He lit a cigarette, inhaled, and puffed out a halo. Sweet nicotine filled his lungs as he inhaled, leaving a nice after feeling in his lungs.

'Cigarettes are intoxicating...' Skull thought as he continued to smoke, looking out into the unknown.

* * *

_"Haha, is this the boy?" A gruff man asked. Skull felt a hand grasp his jaw, and twisted his head from side to side. "Doesn't look immortal..."_

_"He-He is! Watch!" His father -no Thomas, spoke, and the child felt a knife stab him in the stomach, and he cried out in pain. Thomas then proceeded to twist the knife, eliciting a more painful cry from the six-year-old._

_"Stop! Stop! Please!" Skull screamed, tears soaking through the blindfold._

_"Shut your trap, bitch!" The gruff man shouted, backhanding him, sending him flying. The knife was yanked roughly, flashes of white hot pain sending him on the edge of insanity and madness. He smacked his head against the pavement, his sobbing filling the air. He felt his Cloud flames beginning to heal anything ripped or broken, and he felt good as new in a matter of moments. Someone yanked on his hair, bringing forth another cry of pain._

_"Hmm... He's good enough.." The man decided, "Leave."_

_"What about my money?" Thomas cried indignantly._

_"What about your life? Leave before I end it." He growled, and Skull picked up the sound of someone leaving. A sick feeling of dread curled at the bottom of his stomach, panic clawing its way up his throat. The man let out hard and long breaths, and Skull felt the man's beard scratch his cheek._

_"Why don't we do something since were here, ne?" He whispered in the purplette's ear, and the younger one felt something prod at the space between his two butt cheeks. Skull only screamed as he was threw on a table, and his clothes were ripped off. What came after was a nightmare._

* * *

"Skull, kora! Are you okay, you don't look too good, kora." Colonello said, abnormally worried for the one he would usually bully alongside Reborn. Skull was indeed not too good. The nightmares kept him up at night, feeling more realistic day after day. He was cranky, and sleep-deprived, so e felt a bit snappish at the table for beakfast.

"Are you high?" Skull quirked an eyebrow, and yelped when the Rain brought a handgun, and begun to fire at the Cloud. A vein pulsed on the blonde's temple as he continued to fire off rounds.

"What did you say, kora?" Colonello smiled sweetly. Lal used this opportunity to hit her student on the back of his head.

"No fighting at the table, idiot student." She hissed, and looked at Skull, "And you. Accept the fact that the idiot blonde is worried for you."

He glared at her, letting his emotions getting the best of him, "Why should you?" He snarled, his cold violet eyes so out of character, "You guys never cared before? Why should you care now?" He felt his emotional barrier let loose, every word coated with his pent-up rage and anger.

With that, he rose from his seat, and swung his leather jacket onto his shoulder. The rest were quiet, save for Mammon, because she is Skull's childhood friend, and she knows she can't do anything.

Everyone felt a little stab of guilt when they realized it was true. They had never cared for him before, yet here they are trying to ask what is wrong.

"We we're never a family." He continued, "We only came together because we we're the strongest, not because we're a family."

He glared at Reborn, Colonello, Verde, and Lal Mirch. The purplette couldn't get mad at the others. Fong, Yuni, and Mammon were really the only ones that cared.

"Yu-yu," He began, catching her attention, his voice softer. She looked at him with moist eyes.

He gave her a fake smile, "I'll be right back, okay? I'm just gonna go talk to someone..." She seemed a bit hesitant, and voiced her question,

"Who?"

He had begun to walk, and twisted his head to look at her, "Thomas... Thomas De Luca."

At this name, everyone snapped their heads up. They knew who the bastard was. In one of Checkerface's mini games, the seven were forced to learn about each other's past. strange enough, Skull was the one who spoke most vague, only telling them about his father, Thomas, who sold him to some drug lord overseas. Everyone but Yuni knew. Something popped in Colonello's mind, and he remembered how hard Skull's face was pained, and how his hands were obviously shaking. The Rain gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists under the tablecloth

Fong got up to grasp Skull's shoulder, "You don't have to do that."

The said Cloud resisted to shake the Storm off, "It's fine, Fong." He smiled, "I may not be able to change the past, but hey! I can forgive him."

With one final smile at Yuni, he left the house that they shared.

* * *

The purple motorbike roared down the streets of Milan, a friend of his who happened to be an informant told him where Thomas lives.

"Haha, be nice to him, Skull-kun~ He is one of my dearest customers~ Orihara Izaya signing out~ Ow, Shi-chan, that hurt~" His friend said, hanging up mere minutes before the Arcobaleno began his journey to the said address.

~~ TIME SKIP ~~

A two story house loomed over him, and Skull felt his stomach beginning to twist and turn.

He tugged on his facial chain in reassurance, and walked up to the front door. A trembling hand rose to ring the doorbell, and seconds after, a burly man goes to open the door. The Cloud was hit with the stench of sex, booze, and sweat.

"Well, if it ain't the little bitch from Japan. Here for more?" Skull never felt more scared when the liquor-addled drug lord grabbed his ass, and squeezed it. he reared his right fist, and threw a punch towards the man's face. But it was caught.

"Haha, trying to act like a man now? Well lets see about that." The man roared with laughter as he dragged Skull by his hair, passing by the kitchen, blood everywhere. Thomas laid on the ground, blood oozing out of a bullet hole from his forehead. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a thin hand, possibly belonging to a teenager, a charm bracelet adorning the wrist. It had a cloud on it, and the band was a royal purple.

* * *

_"Ah, Ciela, buon compleanno, my dear sister." And the four year old Cloud proceeded to slip a bracelet onto his baby sister._

* * *

"Ah your sister Ciela? She's all grown up now! She was pretty good too. Worth it. Shame I had to kill her. Gotta tie up loose ends and all." The man grinned in a shark-like manner.

'Ciela?' He asked in his mind, 'He.. killed Ciela?' Rage boiled in his stomach, and he reached up to grasp the hand, and clawed into it. The man let out a cry of pain, and momentarily released Skull, who used the opportunity to land a punch the man's shin. Drug lord here roared in pain when he felt something break, and smashed Skull's head in.

"Little bitch!" He growled, "looks like you need manners." The said person glared at his tormentor with defiance in his eyes, promising revenge.

"You? Get revenge for who? Your father abandoned you! Your sister? She was a slut! A good for nothing, incapable, slut!" He yelled at Skull, spittle flying into his face.

"Bastard!" Skull yelled at him, and the man ripped out Skull's facial chain. Skull yelled in pain when he felt the pain hit him like lightning. While occupied with pain, the druggie now dubbed Sporcizia ripped off Skull's jumpsuit that he had under his jacket, exposing Skull's pale torso, marked with scars from battle. He tied Skull's hands above his head with a belt. They were in the middle of the hallway, Skull thrashing wildly under the big man.

With a gleam in his eyes, Sporcizia licked the said torso, making Skull curse louder, his wounds healed, and his anger worse.

"Excuse me, but mind keeping your hands off of my brother, you trash." A smooth, melodic voice asked, with a hint of malice in it.

"Who the hell are you?" Sporcizia growled, only to be met with two coal black pairs of eyes.

A gun was pressed to his temple, "Hands off my lackey, bastardo." There was no twinkle in Reborn's eyes when he said this, tight lips barely concealing a growl in the stead of his trademark smirk.

"Haha, it isn't nice to treat my otoutou like that, kora." Colonello smiled, pressing a rifle towards Sporcizia's forehead. His sky blue eyes that was filled with mirth was replaced by icy blue ones filled with rage.

Lal Mirch stood behind Sporcizia, her handgun placed directly on his ass, "Off, or you get a bullet up your ass."

Mammon was crouched to Skull's left, placing a finger on his other temple, ready to give him scarring illusions.

Verde held a syringe with a black liquid to Sporcizia's neck, hovering above a large pulsing vein, "I've always wanted a new test subject."

"Who the hell are you people? My famiglia will hear about this!" The trash cried with desperation.

"Why we're the Arcobaleno." Fong smiled, and at that precise moment, Lal Mirch shot first, then Verde, then Mammon, and then in synchronization, Colonello and Reborn pulled the trigger. they all stood in silence, but a shriek brought them back to reality.

"Oi, you shot him while I was still under! Help! His breath stinks like the seven hells." Skull yelled, muffled by the corpse.

"Six." Mammon corrected.

"Whatever!"

They all chuckled at his child-like antics.

"C'mon you guys! Time to go!" Yuni called from the car outside, having heard the final gunshot. Colonello hauled Skull out, and gave the shirtless Cloud a hoodie.

"Let's go home."

* * *

EPILOUGE

The rain poured gently as Skull stood before a grave.

**Ciela De Luca**

**Loving sister**

**June 19 19xx - December 25 20xx**

**You must let go of the past, and look towards the future**

He looked towards the clouds, letting the drops slip under his graphic tee, and jeans.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I should've came back instead of running away. I should've protected you." He sobbed quietly after these words, sinking to his knees. Out of nowhere, a rolled up newspaper was picked up by the wind, and smacked Skull on the back of his head.

"Itai!" Skull whined.

He watched with awe as the newspaper unrolled, and the raindrops fell, writing out the kanjis for

_It wasn't you fault_

He smiled sadly, "Thank you, imouto." And at that moment, the sun broke out, bathing Skull in its warmth. There he noticed, a little blue flower growing near Ciela's grave. Scrolling through his mental book of flowers, thanks to Luce, he knew what flower it was.

"Oi, Skull, kora! It's time to go!" Colonello shouted from the edge of the graveyard.

"Coming!"

~FIN~

* * *

A/N: Thank you to those that read this. Sporcizia means filth in Italian :D so know you know why i dbbed him that :D Anyway i hoped you liked it :D I'm also open to betaing things. Just meet the requirement :D


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